1A-F: John Guthrie
Guthrie Family Group 1A · Branch F · The Next Generation
John Guthrie
Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County
and Gloucester County, Virginia
John Guthrie, son of William Guthrie and Frances Wilbourn, was born on 25 July 1735 and baptized on 24 August 1735 in Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia. The parish register records him as John Guttery.
His brother Benjamin’s will of 22 February 1780 names John of Gloucester County and makes a bequest to Frances Guthrie, daughter of John. These family references guide the search for John’s later household in Gloucester. Benjamin allowed for the possibility that John had already died, so the will does not settle his death date; the tax records offer further leads to investigate.
Family at a Glance
John Guthrie
- Parents
- William Guthrie & Frances Wilbourn
- Birth & Baptism
- Born 25 July 1735; baptized 24 August 1735, Christ Church Parish, Middlesex County, Virginia. Recorded as John Guttery.
- Gloucester Connection
- His brother Benjamin’s will, dated 22 February 1780, identifies John with Gloucester County, Virginia.
- Death & Burial
- Date and burial place unknown. Benjamin’s bequest allows for the possibility that John had already died.
Martha
- Place in the Family
- Reported wife of John Guthrie. The relationship remains a research lead requiring confirmation.
- Maiden Name & Parents
- Unknown.
- Gloucester Tax Reference
- A published transcription of the 1782 Gloucester County land tax lists Martha Guthrie. Her connection to this John has not been established by that entry alone.
- Birth, Death & Burial
- Dates and places unknown.
Reported marriage to Martha · Date and place unconfirmed
John’s daughter Frances Guthrie appears in the will of her uncle Benjamin, who left her £50 in Virginia currency. This is the clearest surviving family connection for John’s next generation. The will names her father but does not identify her mother.
The Next Generation
One daughter is presently documented. The record does not establish the full number of John’s children.
| Child | Birth | Family Record & Later Life |
|---|---|---|
| Frances Guthrie | Born by 22 February 1780. Exact date and place unknown. |
Named as John Guthrie’s daughter in Benjamin’s will. A proposed identification with Frances Guthrie, wife of Charles S. Roane, remains unconfirmed. |
Principal sources: The Parish Register of Christ Church, Middlesex County, Va., from 1653 to 1812 (1897), printed p. 141; and Benjamin Guthrie’s will, 22 February 1780, proved 28 February 1780, Middlesex County Will Book F, pp. 179–180. See the notes below and Explore the Records.
Family Evidence NotesOpen for parish dates, Martha’s tax reference, and the proposed Roane connection.
John’s parish entry. The 1897 printed transcription names John as the son of William and Frances Guttery, born 25 July and baptized 24 August 1735. Frances’s maiden surname, Wilbourn, comes from the wider family research; it is not supplied in this birth entry.
John of Gloucester. Benjamin identifies his brother with Gloucester County when disposing of his clothing. The same clause provides an alternative if John had already died. It establishes the family and county connection without proving that John was alive on the date of the will.
Martha and the tax evidence. The family research notes associate John and Martha with a 1782 Ware Parish entry reporting 180 acres, nine enslaved people, five horses, and twelve cattle. A separate Gloucester County land-tax transcription, credited to Tidewater Virginia Families (May/June 1993), lists Martha Guthrie with 120 acres. These summaries require comparison with the original land and personal-property tax records. The acreage difference remains unresolved, and the transcription does not identify Martha’s husband.
Frances’s age and mother. Benjamin’s will names Frances as John’s daughter and gives her £50. It supplies neither her age nor her mother’s name. The birth year 1780 displayed in the research tree is not established by this document; it is the year of the will. A cash legacy does not establish that she was an adult. Her appearance as the only named daughter also does not show that John had no other daughters or sons.
The proposed Roane marriage. The Roane Family compilation, PDF p. 13, lists Frances Guthrie (1775–1823) as the first wife of Charles S. Roane (1776–1858) and reports that he acquired King and Queen County land through her. That page does not name her parents. A record connecting this Frances to John is needed before the Roane children can be included among his descendants.
John’s final years. The family research also notes a John Guthrie in a 1770 Gloucester tax list and his reported absence from the 1783 heads-of-families list. The earlier entry requires an identity check; absence from the later list does not establish a death date. Neither an “after 1782” death nor a Gloucester burial is treated here as documented.
Historical Highlights
Parish Roots and Gloucester Family Ties
John Guthrie’s story begins in the records of Christ Church Parish, where his birth and baptism were entered in the summer of 1735. The entry identifies him as the son of William and Frances Guttery, placing him within their Middlesex County family.
A later family document connects John with Gloucester County. When his brother Benjamin made his will in February 1780, he remembered John through a gift of clothing and named John’s daughter Frances in a separate monetary bequest. Together, these provisions preserve a connection between the brothers and a glimpse of the next generation.
A Brother’s Clothing, a Daughter’s Legacy
Benjamin left John his clothing, except for the silver buckles, with an alternative provision if John had already died. He also left £50 in Virginia currency to Frances Guthrie, daughter of John Guthrie. The clothing clause identifies John as Benjamin’s brother; the cash legacy records Frances’s relationship to her father.
Family Timeline
| Date | Recorded event or research lead |
|---|---|
| 25 July 1735 | John is born in Christ Church Parish The parish entry names his parents as William and Frances Guttery. His birth date is 25 July. Source: The Parish Register of Christ Church (1897), printed p. 141. |
| 24 Aug 1735 | Baptism follows the next month John’s baptism is recorded on 24 August 1735. Birth and baptism are separate events within the same parish entry. Source: printed parish register, p. 141. |
| 1770 | A Gloucester tax-list lead The family research notes a John Guthrie in a Gloucester County tax list. Comparing the original entry with other local records may establish whether it belongs to this John. Research lead: tax-list reference in the family’s research notes; the original entry has not been verified here. |
| 22 Feb 1780 | Benjamin names John and Frances Benjamin’s will identifies his brother John with Gloucester County and names Frances Guthrie as John’s daughter. John’s clothing bequest includes an alternative if he had already died. Source: Benjamin Guthrie’s will, Middlesex County Will Book F, pp. 179–180; proved 28 February 1780. |
| 1782 | Martha appears in a land-tax transcription A published Gloucester County transcription lists Martha Guthrie with 120 acres. This is a useful lead for the reported wife in John’s family research, although the entry does not identify her husband. Source: 1782 Gloucester County land-tax transcription, credited to Tidewater Virginia Families, May/June 1993. |
Reading the Timeline CarefullyTax references, John’s final years, and Frances’s later life.
The two tax summaries. The family research associates John and Martha with a 1782 Ware Parish entry reporting 180 acres, nine enslaved people, five horses, and twelve cattle. The separate land-tax transcription lists Martha with 120 acres. The original land and personal-property tax records need to be compared before these details can be assigned to one household. Martha’s relationship to John remains unconfirmed.
John’s final years. Benjamin’s conditional bequest does not establish whether John was alive in February 1780. The tax references require an identity check, and John’s reported absence from a 1783 heads-of-families list does not supply a death date. The present evidence also leaves the timing of his move from Middlesex to Gloucester unresolved.
Following Frances. Her uncle’s will establishes that John had a daughter named Frances by February 1780. It does not give her age or identify her mother. The proposed connection to Frances Guthrie, wife of Charles S. Roane, is discussed in the Family Evidence Notes and remains a lead for further research.
The parish reference is an 1897 printed transcription; the 1780 family relationships come from Benjamin’s will. The Gloucester tax references have different levels of documentation. Record links and the remaining research questions follow in Explore the Records.
Explore the Records
The Christ Church Parish entry establishes John’s birth, baptism, and parents. Benjamin Guthrie’s will adds the Gloucester County connection and identifies John’s daughter Frances. Tax references and Roane family research offer paths for extending that documented outline.
| Record or Source | What It Contributes |
|---|---|
| Christ Church Parish RegisterBirth and baptism, 1735 | The 1897 printed transcription names John’s parents and records his birth on 25 July and baptism on 24 August 1735. |
| Benjamin Guthrie’s Will22 February 1780 | Identifies his brother John with Gloucester County and gives £50 Virginia currency to Frances, daughter of John Guthrie. The wording allows that John may already have died. |
| Gloucester Tax References1770 and 1782 | The family notes identify a John Guthrie in 1770 and associate John and Martha with a 1782 tax summary. A separate published land-tax transcription lists Martha Guthrie. Original entries and identities require comparison. |
| Heads-of-Families Reference1783 | The research notes report John’s absence from the Gloucester list. The underlying list has not been independently checked for this page; the reported absence does not establish his death. |
| Roane Family CompilationPDF p. 13 | Names Frances Guthrie as Charles S. Roane’s first wife and describes land acquired through her. It does not name her parents or establish that she was John’s daughter. |
Parish Entry: John Guttery25 July and 24 August 1735 · Printed register, p. 141
Reading transcription from the 1897 printed register. Abbreviations are expanded and punctuation is regularized.
John, son of William and Frances Guttery, born July 25th, baptized August 24th, 1735.
The entry identifies both parents by given name and records two distinct dates. The mother’s maiden surname, Wilbourn, comes from the wider family research rather than this entry.
Source: The Parish Register of Christ Church, Middlesex County, Va., from 1653 to 1812 (1897), printed p. 141, PDF p. 149. This is a published transcription of the parish records.
Benjamin’s Will: John and Frances22 February 1780 · Middlesex County Will Book F, pp. 179–180
The following excerpts retain the wording checked against the supplied manuscript images, with capitalization, punctuation, and abbreviations regularized.
The Clothing Bequest
Item. I give and bequeath unto my brother John Guthrie of the County of Gloucester all my wearing apparel excepting my buckles, provided nevertheless that should it appear that my said brother John died before the making and writing of this, it is my will and desire that my wearing apparel already mentioned be equally divided amongst my remaining brothers Samuel Guthrie and William Guthrie and William Berry and John Berry.
The Gift to Frances
Item. I give unto Frances Guthrie, daughter of John Guthrie, fifty pounds Virginia currency.
What these clauses establish. John was Benjamin’s brother and was associated with Gloucester County. Frances was John’s daughter. The will does not name her mother, give her age, or establish that she was John’s only child. Its conditional wording leaves John’s survival on 22 February 1780 unresolved.
The Berry names. The clothing excerpt preserves the sequence of names in the document. Elsewhere in the will, John Berry is expressly identified as the son of Benjamin’s sister Frances by John Berry; the wording should not be used to turn all four alternate recipients into brothers of Benjamin.
The will was proved 28 February 1780. View the FamilySearch will-book reference or the manuscript images at Ancestry. The complete will, codicil, and probate are included on Benjamin Guthrie’s page.
Gloucester Tax and Household ResearchMartha’s entry, conflicting acreage, and the limits of an absent name.
The family’s tax notes. A 1770 Gloucester reference names John Guthrie. The 1782 Ware Parish summary associates John and Martha Guthrie with 180 acres, nine enslaved people, five horses, and twelve cattle. These notes preserve useful leads, but they are not images or complete transcriptions of the underlying entries.
The separate land-tax transcription. The 1782 Gloucester County land-tax list published online by Genealogy Trails records Martha Guthrie with 120 acres. It credits a transcription by “VLHD” in Tidewater Virginia Families, May/June 1993, subsequently transcribed online by K. T. Its introductory note warns that the records are worn and recommends checking the originals where readings are uncertain.
What remains to be resolved. The 120-acre and 180-acre figures should remain attached to their respective sources until the original land and personal-property lists are compared. The land-tax entry alone does not identify Martha as John’s wife or show that all the reported figures belong to this family.
The 1783 reference. John’s reported absence from the Gloucester heads-of-families list is a search clue. It cannot by itself establish death, widowhood, migration, or the end of a household. A securely identified probate, deed, or later tax entry would provide a firmer chronological anchor.
Was Frances Guthrie the Wife of Charles S. Roane?A proposed descendant line awaiting a record that identifies her parents.
The Roane Family presentation, PDF p. 13, lists Charles S. Roane (1776–1858) with first wife Frances Guthrie (1775–1823). It reports that he acquired land in King and Queen County through her and later purchased Mount Prodigal in Gloucester.
That page does not name Frances’s parents. The land statement offers a useful route for research: deeds, inheritance proceedings, or a marriage record might connect her with her father. Until such a link is established, the listed birth and death years and the Roane children should not be assigned to John’s daughter as documented facts.
Thomas Roane’s appearance as a witness to Benjamin Guthrie’s will does not establish this marriage. Likewise, the King and Queen County land connection alone does not exclude John’s daughter. The question depends on identifying Frances through records that connect the two families.
The Guthrie DNA Project
No tested descendant line through John has been identified in the research summarized here. His documented daughter Frances provides a starting point for descendant research; the will does not establish whether he also had sons.
Within the broader Branch F research, the tested North Carolina line of William Guthrie and Mary Magdalene matches Guthrie Family Group 1A. The Middlesex family also shares Christ Church Parish with Branch B. These genetic and geographical connections support studying the branches together while the precise ancestral links and the proposed Middlesex-to-North Carolina connection remain under investigation. See the Family Hub for the broader discussion.
Most Wanted DocumentsRecords that could identify John’s household and follow Frances into adulthood.
- Original Gloucester tax entries. Locate the 1770 John Guthrie reference and the 1782 land and personal-property entries associated with John and Martha. Compare names, acreage, districts, and surrounding entries across successive years.
- A record naming John’s wife. A marriage, deed with a wife’s acknowledgment, probate record, or family Bible entry could establish Martha’s relationship and potentially her maiden name.
- John’s estate or final property transactions. A will, administration, inventory, deed, or court proceeding could clarify when he died and identify additional family members.
- Frances’s marriage and inheritance records. Seek a record naming her father or explaining the King and Queen County land attributed to Charles S. Roane’s wife. This is the key to evaluating the proposed descendant line.
Following John’s Family
John’s surviving records connect his childhood in Christ Church Parish with a Gloucester family remembered in his brother’s will. The gift to Frances preserves a daughter’s name and gives us a place to begin following the next generation.
If you have a Gloucester tax entry, family Bible, deed, probate record, or a source identifying Frances Guthrie’s parents or marriage, please share its citation and an image when available. A single well-identified record could help connect these scattered references and extend the family’s story.
Researched and curated by Ann Guthrie · Guthrie Genealogy